BusinessWest & Healthcare News: Business & Health Talk Podcast

It’s been a somewhat turbulent start to 2023 for the banking industry, with a few headline-making failures and questions about what will happen in this sector amid interest rate hikes, inflation, and other forces. On the next installment of  BusinessTalk,  Corey Wrinn, Managing Director of Rivel, who conducts primary research on U.S. banking customers, provides some perspective on the current land...

On the next installment of BusinessTalk, Michelle Schutt, president of Greenfield Community College, talks with  BusinessWest  Editor George O’Brien about proposals for ‘free’ community college and what they might mean for area residents, the community colleges, the higher education sector, area employers, and the region’s economy. There’s a lot to unpack, and it’s all must listening, so tune in t...

There was already a mental health crisis in this country before COVID. What the pandemic did was amplify the problem and bring some much-needed attention to it, according to Dr. Negar Beheshti, chief medical officer for MiraVista Behavioral Health Center. She is  BusinessWest  Editor George O’Brien’s guest on the next installment of BusinessTalk. The two discuss the breadth and depth of this crisi...

The sports betting era has begun in Massachusetts, and it’s off to a fast and intriguing start. On the next installment of BusinessTalk, Robert Westerfield, vice president of Casino Operations at MGM Springfield, talks with  BusinessWest  Editor George O’Brien about sports betting, March Madness, and what to expect moving forward. It’s must listening, so tune in to BusinessTalk, a podcast presente...

Steve and Jean Graham have been named Difference Makers by  BusinessWest  for 2023 for many reasons, from their work within the community to their success in business. It’s a compelling and inspiring story that involves everything from ice cream to wrestling, and one can learn more about as  BusinessWest  Editor George O’Brien talks with Steve Graham on the next installment of  BusinessTalk.  It’s...

Three years after the start of the pandemic, the world looks considerably different, with some of the most profound change coming in the commercial real estate realm. Remote work and hybrid schedules are here to stay. What does that mean for Springfield’s office towers and other places where people work? Evan Plotkin, president of NAI Plotkin, discusses all this and much more with  BusinessWest  e...

The Holyoke St. Patrick’s Parade and road race are regional events steeped in history and tradition. On this next installment of BusinessTalk,  BusinessWest  Editor George O’Brien talks with Kelly McGiverin, Co-Marketing Director of Fundraising and Sponsorships for the Holyoke St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee, and Matt Bannister, Senior Vice President Marketing and Corporate Responsibility for p...

It’s only March, but it’s already been quite a year for Gary Rome. Over the past month, the owner the Gary Rome Auto Group has been named TIME magazine’s auto dealer of the year and a Difference Maker by  BusinessWest —  and for all of the same reasons. On the next installment of BusinessTalk, Rome talks with  BusinessWest  Editor George O’Brien about his success in business, his work in the commu...

Suzanne Parker, executive director of Girls Inc. of the Valley, is the guest on the next installment of BusinessTalk. In a lively discussion with  BusinessWest  Editor George O’Brien, she talks about the ambitious project to create a new home for the nonprofit in Holyoke and the many learning experiences it has provided for Girls Inc. administrators — and members — alike. It’s all must listening, ...

Business networking. It’s an art and a science, and a skill that all those in business need to effectively market themselves and their venture. On the next installment of BusinessTalk, Emily Leonczyk, executive vice president of the Markens Group, talks at length with  BusinessWest   Associate Publisher and Sales Manager Kate Campiti about networking and how to thrive as people once again attend c...

Carlo Bonavita, owner of the Springfield Wine Exchange is the guest on the next installment of BusinessTalk. In a lively discussion with  BusinessWest  Editor George O’Brien, he has a lot to say about wine, the business of wine,  what buyers are looking for today, and even some thoughts on a perfect gift for Valentine’s Day. It’s all must listening, so tune in to BusinessTalk, a podcast presented...

Megan Burke says listening to the BusinessTalk podcast featuring Katie Allan Zobel, president and CEO of the Community Foundation of Western Mass., certainly helped her when she interviewed to succeed Zobel in that position. Now, she’s in that job, and it’s her turn to be the guest on the podcast. She talks with  BusinessWest  Editor George O’Brien about everything from her varied background to he...

Amy Jamrog is a Holyoke-based financial advisor, coach, and consultant. And experiences in all of those roles have also inspired her to write. Her book is called  Confetti Moments: 52 Vignettes to Spark Conversation, Connect Deeply and Celebrate the Ordinary,  a title that pretty much says it all. Jamrog talks with  BusinessWest  editor George O’Brien   about her book, what inspired it, why we all...

Susan Kasa, president of Boulevard Machine in Westfield, is the guest on the next installment of BusinessTalk, and she does a great job of drilling down and assessing the state of the manufacturing sector in Western Mass. and ongoing efforts to ensure that there are talented workers in the pipeline for years — and decades — to come. It’s all must listening, so tune in to BusinessTalk, a podcast pr...

As 2023 begins, there are many question marks —as well as an abundance of cautious optimism — concerning the region and it’s economy. On the next installment of BusinessTalk,  BusinessWest  Editor George O’Brien and his guest, Rick Sullivan, president and CEO of the Western Mass Economic Development Council, sort through it all, touching on everything from workforce issues to the prospects for nee...

BusinessWest  Editor George O’Brien has a lively discussion with Claudia Pazmany, executive director of the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce. The two talk about everything from Amherst’s strong comeback from the pandemic, which hit its hospitality, college-town economy very hard, to the prospects for chambers of commerce in the post-COVID world. It’s all must listening, so tune in to BusinessTalk,...

BusinessWest  editor George O’Brien has a lively discussion with Mike Fenton, Springfield city councilor and chairman of the city’s Casino Oversight Committee. The two talk about recently voiced concerns about MGM Springfield not delivering what was promised when it was granted a gaming license, and what actions are expected from the parent company in the weeks and months ahead to improve the pict...

Holyoke, the Paper City, is in the midst of a renaissance of sorts, a dramatic comeback fueled by entrepreneurship, technology, the arts, cannabis, and much more. On the next installment of BusinessTalk, Joshua Garcia, the city’s first Hispanic mayor, talks with  BusinessWest  Editor George O’Brien about the progress made and the work still be done in his community. It’s all must listening, so tun...

Meg Sanders, CEO of Canna Provisions in Holyoke and Lee, is the guest on the latest installment of BusinessTalk, and she gives a candid, eye-opening appraisal of the state of the cannabis business in Western Mass. and where this intriguing industry can, and probably will, go moving forward. In her talk with BusinessWest  Editor George O’Brien, she touches on everything from competition to profit m...

The economy. Inflation. Interest rates. Quiet quitting. The housing market. The outlook for 2023. These are just a few of the subjects that BusinessWest Editor and PeoplesBank President and CEO Tom Senecal touch on in a wide-ranging installment of BusinessTalk. It’s all must listening, so tune in to BusinessTalk, a podcast presented by BusinessWest in partnership with Living Local 413 and sponsore...

It’s called the Hope for Youth & Families Foundation. That’s the next chapter in the life and career of entrepreneur and philanthropist Bob Bolduc, founder of Pride Stations and Stores. On the next installment of BusinessTalk,  BusinessWest  Editor George O’Brien talks with Bolduc about his new foundation and its broad goal of helping individuals and families achieve sustainability. It’s must...

‘Burnout.’ It’s a term we hear often and in many contexts. But it has a specific meaning and tell-tale symptoms. That’s just a few things we learn in an intriguing, eye-opening conversation with Jim Young, the ‘Centered Coach’ an expert on this subject, and author of a new book —  ‘Expanding Intimacy: How Tough Guys Defeat Burnout.’ It’s all must listening, so tune in to BusinessTalk, a podcast pr...

“Is Victory at hand?’ That’s the question Donald Sanders, executive artistic director of MIFA Victory Theatre attempts to answer on the next installment of  BusinessTalk.  The downtown Holyoke landmark has been dark for more than 40 years, but Sanders explains that the requisite momentum — and funding — exists to turn the lights back on soon. It’s all must listening, so tune in to BusinessTalk, a...

Mark Paglia, COO of Mira Vista Behavioral Health Center — and a Healthcare Hero for 2022 — is the guest on BusinessTalk this week, and there was a lot to discuss with  BusinessWest  Editor George O’Brien. Topics include the opening of Mira Vista in the middle of a pandemic, the behavioral health crisis that accompanied COVID, the ongoing, and  now often overlooked, opioid addiction problem in this...

Serial entrepreneur Peter Rosskothen has seen just about everything there is to see in business over the past four decades. But he admits that the past few years have been something altogether different. They have changed the way business is done, and these changes are likely permanent. These are just some of his observations in a hard-hitting discussion with BusinessWest editor George O’Brien on...